Pennsylvania Bar Association – November 2024
Member Spotlight – Mike Jones of McMillen, Urick, Tocci & Jones (Aliquippa, PA), Partner – 1996 – Present
Mike Jones of Beaver County has 30 years of trial experience and has served in multiple leadership roles for the Pennsylvania Bar Association(PBA). A graduate of Temple University Law, Mike got his start in the PBA in 1999 when he was asked to join the House of Delegates and was later mentored “in all things PBA” by the late Charles “Lucky” Bowers when he served as Zone 10 Governor. Some of Mike’s current leadership positions include serving as President of the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation (2022 – Present), Member of the House of Delegates, and Co-Chair of the By-Laws Committee. He served as Zone 10 Governor from 2015-2017. In 2020, Mike received the 2020 PBA President’s Award in recognition of outstanding leadership and dedication as Chair of the PBA COVID-19 Task Force. He also serves as a leader in the Conference of County Bar Leaders.
The value of PBA membership has been through Section and Committee memberships “which provide the networking ability to engage in meaningful dialogue about the areas of practice that are important to me and keep current with new developments in those areas.” Mike’s advice to lawyers in Western Pennsylvania who want to get more involved with the PBA is to consider attending the annual Conference of County Bar Leaders which will take place in Gettysburg in March of 2025. “This conference sponsored by the PBA is filled with programs designed to help new leaders in the profession by providing sessions on leadership training, innovations in technology, insurance, fiduciary responsibilities, effective communication, well-being and more. There is probably no better opportunity to experience the value of becoming involved in the PBA.”
When asked about the biggest challenges currently facing Pennsylvania lawyers, Mike observed that new lawyers are entering the profession burdened with substantial law school debt and at the opposite end of the spectrum are senior lawyers who do not have a succession plan. “Fortunately, the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation in conjunction with the IOLTA Board and the PA Supreme Court provides the Loan Repayment Assistance Program(LRAP) to assist new lawyers with law school debt when they engage in civil legal aid through qualified organizations.” Since 2011, the Foundation’s LRAP program has provided funding in excess of $5,131,841 to support lawyers working in the public sector. In addition, the PBA has developed “several robust programs available to members to assist them in devising and implementing a succession plan.”
Mike is a first generation lawyer, like many recent graduates in Pennsylvania. “I was the first in my family to go to college. Without the support of my parents that would not have been possible.” He married his wife, Cheray, in July 1990 and started law school one month later. “I would not have been able to succeed in law school if it wasn’t for her working to support us and encouraging me every day.” In terms of his success professionally, Mike attributes his accomplishments to his partners. “Anything I have achieved has been on the shoulders of those who got me there. I will always pay that forward.”
